Today is our first day at the cemetery, but it’s most definitely not the first day of the project. You could argue that the first day of the project was last week, when the class met for the first time, but that wouldn’t be right either. Indeed, this has been so long in coming that I am not sure I could say exactly when it began.
The day I was interviewed for my position at UVic, I was asked if I had any ideas for locally-based field school type things. Right away, I knew that what I wanted to do was a cemetery project. But as I leapt into the job and my teaching load of 8 courses, most of which were new to me, the course got pushed to the side to think about later. A couple of years passed, and my courses were developed, though ever developing, and it was time to turn my attention to this.
Fortuitously, I knew Helga Thorson through our mutual membership in the AASSC. She is heavily involved in field schools at UVic, especially with regards to the forum where people share ideas, talk through logistics, etc. Helga and I got to talking about my project and she knew just the person to talk to. She connected me with Rick Kool, who is the Director for the Jewish cemetery. Victoria. I knew just enough about the cemetery to be very interested in the opportunity to do a project there. A number of my students in the Archaeology of Death Course (Anth397) had done mini-projects there in the past, and Rick had often taken time out of his day to meet them at the cemetery and tell them a bit about it.
We had tea several times over a couple of years, talking over the course and my goals, discussing Rick’s priorities for the project, and agreeing to a plan of action. I started gathering supplies, purchasing things, scrounging, and raiding the archaeological tools stashed away on campus. We were finally ready and advertised the course in the sping of this year.
The goals of the course are manifold. First, it is a locally based course designed to give students both relevant field and lab experience for a project of this nature. But it is a course rather than a full on field school. Traditional field schools often have significant barriers for students, including costs and time commitments. This provides those who need it with an alternative. It also allows me to simultaneously teach Anth100, something I do every May/June.
The learning outcomes stated on the syllabus come from my collaboration with Rick and my goals for my students:
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
1. Design a cemetery-based project, from research questions to final presentation
2. Record data in the field using a variety of tools (cameras, measuring tapes, GPS, forms, etc)
3. Input and analyse data using relevant software
4. Assess the condition of monuments and explain possible risk management options
5. Present archaeological data in publically accessible formats
I look forward to seeing how it all plays out! For now, it is time to finish my cup of tea and head to the cemetery.